This application claims the priority benefit of Japanese application serial No.2001-267145 filed on Sep. 4, 2001 and 2001-267149 filed on Sep. 4, 2001.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a disc device for driving CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW discs in various computer systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally speaking, a disc device for driving an optic disc is necessary in order to record or reproduce data to or from a personal computer (PC, hereinafter). The disc device can be built inside the PC or be externally connected to the PC by a cable.
The disc device built inside a PC is a drawer type disc device. The drawer for receiving a disc can be drawn out to load an optical disc by a drawer switch or a command from the PC. On the other hand, an upper lid type disc device, which is connected externally to the PC with a cable, is widely used from the music CD player to the PC due to its convenience.
The disc device for a computer can function as an editing program, editing video images and music, and then recording these data onto a disc. Data like these should be completely recorded without interruption because they are serially systematized data. Furthermore, when the mechanism for ejecting the optical disc is operated, if the data recording is in progress, there is a danger of forcing the recording to finish.
Here, an eject/lock mechanism is proposed for any one of the drawer type and upper lid type, wherein the disc cannot be manually ejected when the recording is continuing. As the optical disc becomes capable of ejecting and loading, the microcomputer inside the disc drive judges the situation to drive the eject/lock mechanism that is formed with electrical and mechanical elements according to an ejection request. In this way, manual operations during the recording are rejected to increase the recording safety.
For achieving the above object, the eject/lock mechanism can be a type of electric motor for instance, which is disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open no. 2001-126460, entitled xe2x80x9cDevice for Loading a Recording Mediumxe2x80x9d. An electric motor is used as a power, and a transferring mechanism with a main body formed of gears is used to transfer the power of the motor, wherein the motor is controlled by signals from the microcomputer inside the PC. Because the transferring mechanism that has many motors and parts is used in this motor type disc device, the manufacturing cost is high, and a recovering mechanism is required when power goes down. Also a wider space is required for installing a variety of parts of the motor and transferring mechanism.
Additionally, an attraction solenoid type eject/lock mechanism is disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open no. He9-44955, entitled xe2x80x9cDisc Devicexe2x80x9d. An attraction solenoid is used as a power to eject or lock a disc by operating a lock lever with horizontal movements of a plunger of the eject/lock mechanism. In this attraction solenoid type eject/lock mechanism, the efficiency of the attraction is low with respect to the volume of the attraction solenoid, and a large current is required during its operation. Furthermore, the movable part (iron core) has a large weight and therefore the impact-resistance is low, so that the lock might be released because of the impact during transportation.
Furthermore, a self-hold solenoid type eject/lock mechanism is disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open no. He11-339354, entitled xe2x80x9cDisc Devicexe2x80x9d. A self-hold solenoid is used as a power. Lock levers moving together with a movable plate of the self-hold solenoid are operated to control the ejection and the lock of a disc. In comparison with the motor type and the attraction solenoid type, the self-hold solenoid type can be further simplified, and the manufacturing cost is relatively low.
From the point of simple structures, low cost, space saving and low power consumption, the self-hold solenoid type of the eject/lock mechanism is highly superior to the other two types. The volume capable of assembling a disc device into a PC becomes smaller due to the main body of PC becoming smaller and lighter, especially as a flat shape is required for the notebook PC. And the volume for assembling the eject/lock mechanism becomes narrower due to the upper lid type disc device becoming miniaturized. Therefore, an eject/lock mechanism with a simplified structure is required.
A precise handwork is needed because the eject/lock mechanism is to be installed in a narrow part of the disc device, and the installation process is very complicated. It is especially difficult to use the flexible print circuits (FPC) etc to connect the magnetization coil and the printed board for supplying a pulse current to the magnetization coil of the self-hold solenoid, because the printed board and magnetization coil are close to each other.
Therefore it is difficult to construct an eject/lock mechanism using the motor type or attraction solenoid type, and even using the self-hold solenoid type, the structures thereof should be as simplified as possible.
The present invention is focused on solving the problems described above. A disc device is provided of self-hold solenoid type, wherein an eject/lock mechanism is installed in a narrow space inside the disc device in a space-saving way, and by eliminating structural elements, the manufacturing cost and the malfunction rate of the disc device is reduced and the reliability thereof is increased.
For solving the related problems, the present invention lifts the rationality of installing the eject/lock mechanism to the disc device by eliminating complicated mounting steps of a printed board and a terminal of a magnetization coil of a self-hold solenoid.
According to the foregoing description, the present invention solves the problems described above with devices provided as follows.
The invention provides a disc device, which comprises an eject/lock mechanism, activated by applying a pulse current to a self-hold solenoid, for opening a discloading unit; and a releasing spring, engaged with the eject/lock mechanism, for creating a resilient force when the disc-loading unit is closed, and for releasing the resilient force when the disc-loading unit is opened. An activating end of the releasing spring is connected to a moveable plate of the self-hold solenoid disc-loading unit.
The invention further provides a disc device, which comprises an eject/lock mechanism, activated by applying a pulse current to a self-hold solenoid, for opening a disc-loading unit. The eject/lock mechanism further comprises a first slider, having a releasing spring wherein the releasing spring is connected to a moveable plate of the self-hold solenoid for creating a resilient force by a first fixing claw of an upper lid when the upper lid of the disc-loading unit is closed, and for releasing the resilient force when the upper lid of the disc-loading unit is opened; and a second slider having a second fixing claw The second fixing claw engages the first fixing claw of the upper lid, and the second slider is actuated in a direction for maintaining an engagement of the second fixing claw, and then the engagement is released by moving the second slider together with the first slider.
In addition, the invention also provides a disc device, comprising an eject/lock mechanism, activated by applying a pulse current to a self-hold solenoid, for opening a disc-loading unit. The eject/lock mechanism further comprises a lock lever, having a latching unit. The latching unit moves together with a moveable plate of the self-hold solenoid, and the latching unit is latched by a lock pin; and a releasing spring, for creating a resilient force by stretching the moveable plate of the self-hold solenoid when a drawer is closed, and for releasing the resilient force when the drawer is open.
In the disc devices described above, the resilient force of the releasing spring is smaller than a holding force of the moveable plate of the self-hold solenoid.
In the disc devices described above, a terminal end of a magnetization coil of the self-hold solenoid is exposed to a circuit face of a printed board that covers the eject/lock mechanism, so that the terminal end is connected to a circuit of the printed board where the pulse current is applied.
The invention further provides a disc device, which comprises an eject/lock mechanism, activated by applying a pulse current to a self-hold solenoid, for opening a disc-loading unit, wherein a terminal end of a magnetization coil of the self-hold solenoid is exposed to a circuit face of a printed board that covers the eject/lock mechanism, so that the terminal end is connected to a circuit of the printed board where the pulse current is applied.
In the devices described above, the printed board is disposed so as to support parts of the eject/lock mechanism.